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Friday, January 4, 2013

Fabulous Friday Feature- Mary Connealy

Today I welcome an authoress who has a gift for humor, a kind heart, and is my treasured friend, Mary.

Enter to win an autographed copy of Out of Control by Mary Connealy see below.

I met Mary through ACFW and through my friends at the Writer's Alley. She truly has a gift for writing romantic comedy. I laughed through the pages and couldn't wait to pick up another of her books. I asked Mary to share her writing journey with us. Here is what she wrote:

God Gives Seasons of Life

I am a big believer that God gives us seasons of life.

I couldn’t see it while I struggled to get published but
now, looking back, I realize that God waited until exactly the right time in my
life to let me be published.

I sat down to write a book, a full length novel, with the
intent of getting it published, the year my baby, the youngest of four
daughters, went to Kindergarten.

I wrote for ten years before I got my first book
published. At the end of that ten years, I had twenty finished books on my
computer. That is; twenty full length romance novels. I had other, shorter
works, Middle Grade novels, short stories, children’s books, novellas, even a
few poems and songs, in addition to the novels.

Mary Connealy and Mary Vee
at ACFW Conference

All that time I was writing along in what I think of as
Mole-like Anonymity, I was seriously pursuing publication. It’s not like I was
just patiently writing and expecting an editor to come to my door and say,
“I’ve heard rumors of your greatness and I’ve been searching for you, please
may I buy your book.”

It’s not like I would type up my story thinking with
sublime confidence, “God will send my books to the right publisher at the right
time.”

Oh no.

I was entering contests, querying agents, mailing
partials into publishers, using my Writer’s Market Guide and my Romance Writers
Report Magazine, to hunt down editors and agents and contest where ever I could
find them.

Through all that writing and querying and rejection, I
always got just enough encouragement to carry on. I was a finalist in a contest
with the second book I wrote. I’d get a occasional request for a full followed
by a ‘nice’ rejection.

I got some short plays published and made actual tidbits
of money.

It all kept me going.

When I finally sold, my first book, Petticoat Ranch hit
the shelves in February and my baby graduated from high school in May.

I worked so hard promoting Petticoat Ranch. I did book signings
and gave talks in any place that would let me in. Bookstores, libraries,
churches. I attended conferences and went to ICRS. I was crazy busy hustling
around selling that book. I had no idea just how demanding it would be.

To me it was a light going on. The season of my life that
I could devote to being a published author came when I had time to be a
published author. I could give myself whole-heartedly to it without neglecting
my children because they were grown.

I just couldn’t see this when I was struggling all those
years. But I needed those years. I needed them to get my daughters raised and
also to get a back list of books because, once Barbour Publishing bought my
first book, they wanted more and more of them. I published nineteen books with
Barbour in four years. Twelve full length novels, four Heartsong Presents
shorter romances and three cozy mysteries. Of those nineteen books, eight were
already written. I would never have been able to keep up that pace if I hadn’t
had those years to write all those books. And it was really good for my career
to be able to say YES every time Barbour asked for another book.

That was God’s plan. I try to remember that when I’m
impatient with anything, not just writing. Wait on the Lord. Embrace and enjoy
the season of life I’m walking through with Him.

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys. She is
a Carol Award winner, and a Rita, Christy and Inspirational Reader's Choice
finalist. She is the author of the bestselling Kincaid Brides Series: Out of
Control, In Too Deep, Over the Edge, Lassoed in Texas Trilogy, Montana
Marriages Trilogy and Sophie's Daughters Trilogy. Mary is married to a Nebraska
rancher and has four grown daughters and two spectacular grandchildren.

To enter the contest for an autographed copy of Mary's book, Out of Control, leave a comment and become a follower of this site if you aren't already. Please also include your email address (username (at) yahoo (dot) com) so I can contact you if you are the winner. The winner will be selected by a third party, random.org, and will be announced next week. U.S. residents only.

I can certainly relate to those seasons of life which are more distinct than just spring, summer, fall and winter. I seem to be in the learning and flipping through seed catalogs season of the writing life. How to plant this garden?

Thank you for sharing the background that encourages others to go forward in their journey. I am blessed for the reading of this blog.

To me the trouble with seasons of life is, they are so hard to see when we're in the middle of them.Wait on the Lord is probably the hardest lesson there is. (well, there are PLENTY of hard lessons, so who knows which is hardest)But only looking back can I see that season I was passing through.

I know young mothers who are published. They can handle it. They have their own season of life (or maybe I was just a slow learner) so just because God gave me that time of being a mom and then afterward gave me a time to be published, doesn't mean it is WRONG for someone to do it a different way.

I have a friend who is published with four little ones, I think she's only got one in school so far and she's published multiple books.

I asked her to come be on my blog, Seekerville and pick a day close to her book releasing. She sort of smiled and said, "I'm not sure when they're releasing. I don't do blogs. I write the books, send them in and then forget them. I let my publisher do any marketing and selling. I'm busy writing the next book, that's the only thing I have time for is to write them."

That seemed really smart to me. And she keeps writing and getting new contracts so God bless her for having her priorities straight.

Mary,Walking through the seasons of life is like trudging through a lovely forest. We can't see the sky above the canopy, yet we know it is there. We can't see the holes beneath the leaves, yet we stumble. How blessed we are to have God walk with us to pick us up and speak soft encouraging words.

Hi Deb!No wonder you love her books. It is a great compliment for an author to hear their books have given hope. I love her humor as well. I end up finding the nearest family member and reading the humor passage to them...then walk away laughing and laughing.

HI VINCE!!! I can't give you the gift of time, but I guess I can (from the outside looking in mind you) tell you there are worse things in this world than being busy.What's sadder than to have days and weeks stretching out ahead of you with nothing to do but read.Enjoy the Hectic Life

DebH, the way I see those twenty books is, ARE YOU READY???When you finally get your chance are you READY TO TAKE IT????Get Ready. Be Ready. When that fateful days comes that someone wants your book will you be able to say, "Yes, I can have it for you tomorrow?" Or will you have to say, "I need three months or six months?"BE READY FOR YOUR CHANCE!!!

I often joke that God has me on a fruit of the month club - the Fruit of the Spirit that he often sends me is patience. I want patience and I want it now. You are right, we need to remember that God has perfect timing for our lives. Thanks for this reminder.

Veronica, my 24th book just released. Book #25 in February is the beginning of a new three book series called Trouble in Texas, book #1 is Swept Away.And I just signed with my publisher, Bethany House, for six more books, plus I've got three novellas coming in the next year or so.I can keep you busy for a LONG LONG TIME!!!!!!!!!

Hi Maxie, thanks for stopping in. Give my books a try win or lose. Go to your local library and get them so you don't have to pay.And, if your library doesn't have them, ask to get them though interlibrary loan that is either free or maybe a dollar or two in most libraries.Or, you could try and get your library to buy one of my books.I recommend a lot of screaming. Maybe fall to the floor and kick, hold your breath. Oh, and make sure and call the TV Station first.

Mary Connealy, I am so sorry for botching up your name. I really did know how to spell it. LOL Forgot to edit for my mistakes in typing, which are many. Mostly learned since I've had my computer. Never had typing until Jr. or SR. year when I was in school. Well, I married in my 10th grade year, then got pregnant first thing, and, had to move to Texas for my asthma, so was the end of my school. So, forgive me please. LOL Maxie

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According to new FTC rules I must let you, the reader know, that all views shared on this blog are strictly my own. Books to review are either provided for me by the author, publisher or ones I have purchased and I am under no obligation whatsoever to present anything, but my true opinion on any product. I receive no monetary compensation for anything written on this blog. Any giveaways on this blog are provided by the author/ publisher and I am not responsible for any views they express in their work or on this site. Giveaways are void were prohibited and chances of winning are based on the number of applicants. A random winner is drawn when a book is given away.